Paint buckets, cans and trays along with other devices have long been used to hold paint during the manual application process. Painting with a brush while standing on a ladder requires a moderate degree of agility and care as the paint container must be secured to prevent spillage. As the ladder is often moved during the painting process special care has to be taken in holding a conventional paint can to prevent spillage. Also, space has to be available for the placement of tools normally employed, such as stirrers, scrapers, putty knives and the like as such tools are frequently used and exchanged with the painter's brush. Fold-out trays on step ladders do not sufficiently secure a typical can of paint. Also, painters' tools are often laden with wet paint thereby presenting a dilemma in maintaining such tools in a manner that is easily accessible.
Efforts to solve such problems have heretofore focused on using a standard-issue paint can in which paint retailers sell paint to consumers. Those efforts have generally sought to integrate the standard paint can with the ladder, oftentimes resulting in the can being mounted or hung onto the side of the ladder. Such an arrangement results in weight imbalance and requires additional room to be present on one side of the ladder, which may not be available when painting in areas with tight spaces. Attempts to integrate a standard paint can with a ladder may also include other substantial shortcomings, including blockage of access to ladder rungs, structural impediments to working areas above the paint can, lack of steadiness in the position of the paint can, and other deficiencies. The limitations present in such attempts stem from inherent problems associated with trying to integrate a standard paint can with a ladder, a purpose for which the standard paint can is not designed.
Therefore, based on the problems and disadvantages of conventional containers and methods used while painting, especially while painting while on a ladder, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a container device for affixing to a ladder having a paint receptacle which will maintain a quantity of paint in a convenient and safe manner.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a container device which includes a pair of fixed brackets for affixing the container device to a ladder rung and a pivotable bracket for affixing to a lower ladder rung for stabilization of the container device on the ladder rungs.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a container device which includes a lid that can be placed on the paint receptacle for providing an air tight or substantially air tight seal, thereby sealing any remaining paint therein and maintaining the paint in a fresh condition for later use.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a container device with a paint receptacle which includes a wipe board therein for removing excess paint from a paint brush while painting and a bracket for releasably maintaining a paint brush within the paint receptacle.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a cover for a container device which is formed from fabric or other flexible materials and includes pockets for maintaining various painting accessories against the container device.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide a container device which includes a handle with locking tabs which can be raised upright to a vertical position to lock the lid in place for ease in transporting the container device having paint therein.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.